Mister Crew

Good quality prints of Andrew Wyeth’s works are not too difficult to find if you’re not constrained by a limited budget – for the rest of us, there is Four Seasons. Released over 50 years ago, the collection of reproductions span a little over 20 years of Wyeth’s art up until the early sixties. From the introduction:

In 1962 the editors of Art in America proposed to Wyeth a portfolio of reproductions of his recent dry-brush drawings. The artist and his wife suggested the theme, “The Four Seasons,” because of the essential role played in his work by the cycle of the seasons. The drawings were selected by Andrew and Betsy Wyeth from works in the house and studio at Chadds Ford, supplemented by some owned by friends. With a few exceptions they had never been exhibited or reproduced. The plates were made directly from the originals.

In no particular order the pieces include Spring Sun, New Leaves, Quaker Ladies, Burning Off, The Berry Picker, Teel’s Island, Early October, and a handful of others. Printed on heavy stock, the full 12 piece set can be easily found online in good condition for under $100 and despite their age, most copies that I’ve seen have held their color well.

“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape – the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show.” – Andrew Wyeth

The Granary, 1961. Watercolor.

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I was just recently introduced to the artwork of Andrew Wyeth when a few pieces from a private collection were on display at the Seattle Art Museum. I had originally gone to see the Michelangelo exhibit (which turned out to be a bit boring), but the cost of the ticket was redeemed when I came across Wyeth’s paintings.  One piece in particular captured my attention – it was called “Cape Coat” and featured his model Helga standing in front of a tree in winter.

From Wikipedia:

Andrew Newell Wyeth (July 12, 1917 – January 16, 2009) was a visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century and was sometimes referred to as the “Painter of the People,” due to his work’s popularity with the American public.

In his art, Wyeth’s favorite subjects were the land and people around him, both in his hometown of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and at his summer home in Cushing, Maine.

One of the most well-known images in 20th-century American art is his painting, Christina’s World, currently in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

If you have a chance to see any of his paintings nearby, definitely go check them out. The digital images online do not capture the emotions, depth, colors, and details that are apparent in person.  The photograph above was taken by Bruce Weber.